Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake has been on fire for the past week. I have been out in the mornings live bait fishing as well as throwing a topwater Zara spook . We have landed striped bass, hybrid bass, white bass, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, with a few catfish thrown in for good measure.

The stripers and hybrids were caught in 25 - 40 feet of water. They seem to be suspended in the 10 - 25 feet range. I have been using all down poles with live shad set at 20 - 30 feet deep. My daughter and I arrived at my current fishing location at around 5:15AM this morning. I started marking fish, but nothing was biting. I was rebaiting a pole and had drifted into 25 feet of water when all of sudden one rod bent to the water. My daughter grabbed that pole and the fish started to swim into a line next to it, I grabbed this rod and as soon as I had it, it bent to the water. I got that pole out of the way and it had a large white bass on it. I flung it into the boat because a third rod took off. Both of us had a big fish on and it was really fun listening to the drag of both rods zing out to deep water. I had my fish close to the boat, it took a dive and my line snapped. I guess I should have retied after yesterday's trip. My daughter did a much better job and finally landed her 12 pound striper. With all the break-offs, missed fish and released fish we could have had 3 limits by 7:30AM. It was a really fun morning.

Largemouth, smallmouth and spots are coming to the surface early in the morning, off of points that have trees in the water. You need to have space between the trees to cast your lure. I caught 4 nice black bass this morning and I think around 6 yesterday morning all on a spook. Live bait still is working the best for the black bass. Today we released over a dozen bass including this nice 3 - 4 pounder that my daughter caught. Shiners should work as well as the shad. I have been using a down rod with a slip sinker and dropping it to the bottom. The fish are in the 20 to 25 feet range. Last Friday I had a couple of our guests (Jim & Scott) out and we started to pitch live shad between the trees with no weight. We were catching fish after fish. Jim also landed one nice striped bass. On Wednesday I fished with one of my guests (Greg) and my daughter and we landed one nice striper and many, many black bass. It has really been a great week of fishing for me..

I have been fishing the mid lake area both on points in the creeks and off of main lake points.

Pan fish are biting well on crickets, worms or nightcrawlers. Use a bobber and a small split shot. The fish are on the bottom in the trees and at the edges of the trees. You should be able to fill up a basket in no time.

Catfish are still biting well on trotlines with live bait.

Norfork Lake is still falling slowly (about 2 - 3 inches per day) and currently sits at 573.91. The water temperature is in the low 80's. The main channels are clear and the creeks and coves are clearing up nicely.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

I could not have ordered a better morning to fish Norfork Lake than this morning. The lake was calm, the air temperature was in the 70's and the sun was out. And the best of all, the fish were really biting well!!! I love being able to fish in shorts and a tee shirt! This was the first morning fishing trip I have been able to take since May 5th and what a homecoming it was. I ended up with my limit of striper and hybrid and actually caught 3 other hybrids that were released on site. I also caught smallmouth, largemouth and white bass. All fish were released except for the two stripers. Fish tonight!!

I headed out of my dock around 5:15 AM and fished Panther and Fall creeks. The shad were flipping all though the bushes and the fish were gorging themselves. I was using a fluke with a weighted hook. The fluke had a white body and chartreuse tail. Top water lures would have worked, but there was too many leaves and pine needles in the water to throw a top water bait. The fluke worked great, but the hook was a little big for the white bass, but I did manage to land 4 nice size whites. I was sitting in about 40 feet of water and casting to the shore. The hybrids were caught casting out to deep water when I noticed them coming up for shad.

I fished two different evenings earlier in the week and got into some nice top water action with white bass and hybrids. I was throwing a 3/4 ounce red and white Rooster Tail and the fish hammered the bait. I was fishing in the Cranfield area.

Catfishing is going strong on limb lines and trot lines. Live shiners have been the bait of choice.

Black bass are also hitting spinner baits and lipless crank baits. You need to cast into the bushes and hang on. Jigs are also producing some nice bass in 20 - 25 feet depths just outside the brush line. Darker coolers seem to be working the best.

Walleye are being caught in the bushes with spinner baits and crank baits and also with a crawler harness slow trolling them just outside the brush line.

The Norfork Lake level is starting to fall slowing and currently sits at 579.37. The lake surface water temperature was 68 - 69 degrees this morning.  The air temperature is forecast to be in the 80's with plenty of sun.  The lake is stained, starting to clear in the main channels. Our swimming pool at the resort is warming nicely and getting plenty of use this weekend.

I hope all have a fun and safe Memorial Holiday.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The weather on Norfork Lake has been fantastic. Warm temperatures have arrived, but I don't think it is going to last. A slight cool front is on its way and the evening temperaturess are forecast to get in the high 20's and the days are to be in the 40's and 50's. Not bad for fishing, but not warm enough to increase the water temperature. I'm looking for surface water temperatures in the 50's to activate the fish.

Jeff and crew had another good day fishing in the Bennett's area. They caught this massive 37+ pound striped bass. They landed another and lost several others. A large gizzard shad attracted this trophy fish. The fish have been back in the creeks where the water has warmed to the upper 40's. Shad has also been back in the bayou in the shallow water. Sun and a south wind really helps fishing this time of year. I have also gotten reports that the stripers are up past Red Bank in the shallow warm water.

I was feeling pretty good yesterday afternoon so I headed out at about 4pm to see what I could catch throwing rogues. (It felt great just being back on the lake.) I fished back in Float Creek until about 8PM. I landed 3 smallmounth and 1 largemouth just before it got really dark. I was hoping to get a little striper night bite action, but nothing was happening, for me anyway. The water temperature was about 46 degrees back in Float. Two other boats arrived at dark, one left before me and the other was still fishing when I left. Hopefully the fish finally came in for them.

The Norfork Lake level is still rising slowly and currently sits at 541.5. The main lake surface temp is around 45 degrees, a little warmer back in the creeks. The lake is clear.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Fall fishing on Norfork Lake is in full swing. The lake is in great condition and the fish are biting. I have fished the last 6 days and have caught largemouth, smallmouth, walleye, crappie,catfish, panfish and striped bass. I fished for striped bass yesterday with my brother-in-law, his son and his son's girlfriend. We traveled up the river to the point 9 area of Norfork Lake. We arrived around 6:30AM just as the sky was starting to brighten. I was fishing with large gizzard shad. I hooked the bait onto my leader and dropped it to the bottom in 32 feet of water and set it into the rod holder. As I was reaching for the next pole the first pole bent to the water and line started zinging out. I had my nephew grab the rod and set the hook and the fight was on. All of sudden the line went slack he reeled it in and found that the line had snapped just below the weight. Must have had a kink in the line. I guess I need to be more diligent about checking the line for bad spots. I finally got four rods set, two down lines and two free swimming baits set on a Redi Rig float. This float works in the same method as a balloon keeping the bait away from the boat and at the depth you want. Our fishing trip was a success, we ended up landing five stripers in the 8 - 14 pound range (average Norfork Lake fish), broke off 2 fish and missed at least eight other bites. I had a blast watching my family fight those fish and took a lot of photos and probably gave more advice than was wanted.

Friday I fished with a writer and advertising agent of Northland Tackle and Frabill (Noel Vick). His goal was to bass fish and catch many fish. We started fishing around 8:30AM along bluff lines and points in the 101 Marina area. We were using crank baits, jig and pigs. Noel had a couple of hits along the shoreline, but no fish. The wind started to blow really hard out of the south and it became almost impossible to hold the boat and cast with any accuracy. We motored over to the Big E bluff line, which was blocking the strong winds. I went to a point that has a nice brush pile sunken in 40 feet of water. I rigged up a couple of rods with small live gizzard shad and immediately we started to get hammered. We ended up landing small mouth bass and spotted bass. We fished this location for a while then moved to the back of Float Creek. Again I rigged up live bait and was fishing in 23 - 35 foot depths and the largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass were there and hitting very aggressively. I marked a small school of larger fish sitting in 25 feet of water, I told Noel get ready and all of sudden he was slammed and the drag just started zinging out. The fish was headed for deep water. Noel finally landed a nice size Norfork Lake striped bass (photo of me with the fish). I was amazed that these fish were in such shallow water. I floated over a big brush pile and was marking crappie and pan fish just stacked. They were suspended over the brush in 10 to 18 feet of water. The brush piles were sitting in 23 - 35 feet of water. We re-rigged with some Northland crappie tackle. Noel tied on a red Bro's Bloodworm and I tied on a white Mini Thumper-R-Blade (twister tail grub with a small spinner). Noel immediately got wacked on the Bro's Bloodworm and brought in a nice 12 - 13 inch white crappie. He ended up catching crappie and bluegill on the Bro's Bloodworm. My jig kept getting hits, but I think the grub was a little big and they keep biting the tail and not taking the whole bait. We ended the trip fishing back where we started. I baited the poles up with live shad and we dropped to the bottom at 23 - 30 feet. We started catching spotted bass, one after another. We both had a great day and a fun time. I want to thank Noel for the new Frabill net. It works great and hooks don't get stuck into the webbing. Great net.

The Norfork Lake level is falling slowly and currently sits at 547.12. The lake temperature is falling as well and I was marking 59 degree water up north and around 60 - 61 degrees in my cove. The main lake is clear and the creeks and cover are clearing.

Have a great day of fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

I have been having fun fishing Norfork Lake the last 3 days. I fished in the evening Monday and Tuesday, then today switched to find the early morning bite. The bite has been equally good each day that I have fished. Monday afternoon I had planned on just traveling to several areas to check for bait and fish, but when I was graphing my cove I noticed a lot of fish in 22 - 24 feet of water. I started to spoon and caught white bass after white bass. I went back to my dock and talked one of my guests into coming out with me. In minutes we were on the whites again and had a great time. We ended up catching a dozen or so whites and a nice largemouth. Greg is picutered holding the largemouth and a white. On Tuesday afternoon I headed out around 4PM and decided not to graph my cove so I would be able to check out other areas. :) I headed across from Bidewell Point and marked a few fish, but nothing exciting. I then headed back to the 6A area and marked a few big arcs but no schools of stripers. Once I got into 30 - 38 feet of water I started marking huge schools of bait and fish. I started spooning and ended up catching 5 largemouth bass and 2 crappie. I was fishing rocky points on the bluff side. The black bass and crappie were just stacked. I was hoping for a little top water action, but didn't find any. This morning was equally good. It was a very foggy morning so I couldn't travel fast. I planned on checking out Float Creek and Diamond Bay, but decided to stay closer to home. I fished across from Bidwell and went to the back of the cove. Largemouth bass and Kentucky bass were stacked in 35 - 40 feet of water. I had one of my guide friends, Robert Lee of Lee's Lite Line, with me. We end up landing 6 bass, 3 that were keeper size. We kept one Kentucky for fish tacos. Then we headed to the 101 area and fished a rocky point where I usually catch bass. We didn't find bass this time, but instead we started catching crappie on 1 ounce spoons. The crappie were stack in 30 - 38 feet of water. All fish caught were on the bottom, but I was marking many, many fish all the way from 20 feet, down to the bottom. If I only had my crappie gear with me, we would most likely have had a field day with them. I then headed back to the 6A area and fished rocky points. Again we found crappie just stacked in 30 - 38 feet of water. I found the most fish on drop offs. What a fun morning. Robert got to clean the fish since he is going to have the fish tacos for dinner this evening.

In a nutshell, I found crappie in 30 - 38 feet of water off of main lake rocky points. They were hanging on the ledges or drop offs. I had been finding bass in the same locations. White bass seem to be back in creeks or coves in 22 - 30 feet of water. For all the fish make sure you find the bait fish and the other fish will be there feeding.

Stripers have been tough to find the last 5 days. I think the cold front that rolled through our area put them on the move. Just one week ago I got into a large school of top water feeding striper and had a field day. I found the fish in 20 feet of water. Hope this happens again soon. The forecast is back to normal temperatures so hopefully the stripers will get back to their normal seasonal routine. We should start finding them in the mid lake area soon.

From all reports and my observations the lake conditions are great. Oxygen levels are up and the water is cooling. With all the fish coming up into shallow water it appears we may not have much of a turnover if any this year. If we have a lake turnover it typically happens in October some time, dependant on the water and air temperatures. Of course anything can happen at any time.

The Norfork Lake level is falling slowing and currently is at 551.75. One generator is currently being run. The surface water temperature had fallen to the low to mid 70s. The main lake is clear and the coves and creeks are still a little stained.

Follow Hummingbird Hideaway Resort on Facebook for additional pictures and short notes.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

It was a fantastic morning of fishing on Norfork Lake. I needed to put a few hours on the new motor to break it in so I headed toward the dam. I caught fish everywhere I stopped to look. I first stopped near the dam and was marking fish on the bottom in 40 - 45 feet of water. Then all of a sudden the stripers started to explode close to shore. They were chasing shad on the surface. I quickly got the rod with the Zara spook and on the first cast landed a 12 pound fish. I always have a rod ready with a Zara spook tied on. The fish continued to come up in the same area for about 30 minutes. I landed a second fish about 10 pounds and then I had my third on and after about a 5 minute fight it came unhooked. I checked out my hooks and all were bent out. I guess the first two fish took a toll on the hooks. I better change out the hooks to a stronger one before my next trip. My second spot was back in Koso. Again I was marking fish in 40 - 50 feet of water on the bottom. I started to vertical jig and caught 2 hybrids and a undersized smally. I then headed back into the Diamond Bay area and marked fish in the 35 - 45 feet range. This is where I landed the 18 inch largemouth and smallmouth bass. I also caught 2 whites in the same area. The bass and whites were all caught vertical jigging with a spoon.

All in all it was a great maiden voyage (or at least the first true fishing trip) in my new Skeeter Bay boat. I am really liking this boat!!!! I do have a shad tank on order so I will also be doing live bait fishing in the future. My new bay boat will allow me to be very versatile in my fishing methods.

I hope the early fall top water action is a good sign to how the fall fishing is going to be. I'm looking for a great fall fishing season.

I am getting encouraging reports from the crappie guides that they are starting to catch crappie on sunken brush piles. The brush should be in about 40 feet of water and the crappie are suspended from 20 feet all the way down to the brush. You will need to test various depths until you find the right one. Catfishing has been really good on trot lines and jugs. I have also caught quite a few spooning in 35 feet of water. The trot lines need to be in 15 to 20 feet of water, but as the water cools shallower depths will work.

The Norfork Lake water level is holding steady at 552.26. The surface water temperature has fallen to 77 degrees. The main lake is clear, but the creeks and coves are still a little murky.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

I'm back fishing Norfork Lake after a week of being home bound. All of our boats were rented last week so I got to sleep in. The striped bass are schooling and in their summer pattern. I had a huge school go under me this morning. I missed hooking the first one. I finally landed the second striper and the third broke off. I also caught 3 big white bass and two black bass on a spook. I have had reports of stripers being caught in Float Creek, Panther Creek, Fall Creek and in the Robinson Island area. The fish are suspended at levels of 30 - 40 feet and can be found in all depths, 50 feet to 120 feet of water. I have also had reports of stripers being caught in the dam area. Live bait is working the best (gizzard and thread fin shad) but spooning works once you find the fish. I spoon all summer long. The stripers were hitting my spoon on the drop this morning. Be ready to set the hook as soon as you feel or see the line go slack, you only get one chance. I have also had positive reports on the afternoon bite for stripers.

The top photo is of one of our guests that fished with Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters. Bill landed this nice 20 pound striper and it is currently at the taxidermist. His fish dwarfed my little 10 pounder of today. His group had over 20 bites and end up landing 7 stripers and a nice 4 pound smallmouth bass.

Crappie fishing has been a little difficult with the summer heat. They have gone deep and if you get lucky you may find them on a deep ledge. They should start to move back into the deep brush piles soon. Catfishing has been good on trotlines and jugs. The guides are catching catfish on most of their trips with their shad. Big slab blue gills are being caught under docks and I have spooned up several in 30 feet of water. Walleye are being spooned up in 30 - 40 feet of water along rock bluffs as well as main lake points.

The Norfork Lake level is 555.8 and rising very slowly. Currently no generators are being run. The main lake is clear and the creeks are still a little cloudy due to the rise in water. The Norfork Lake surface water temperature is in the upper 80's.

Happy fishing and hope to see you on the lake.